Erotica Fantastica by Saskia Walker Page A

the low rumble of the
combustion engine in dormant mode. Unable to resist, she climbed
inside.
    Nothing could have prepared her for the
beauty of the interior. Where solid sheets of sturdy welded metal
studded with bolts and rivets characterized the exterior, inside it
was all gleaming brass dials and copper pipes. The construction was
immaculate and finished to a high standard. She darted over to the
control panel and ran her fingers along the casement. She was so
fascinated that she did not sense the human presence behind her,
not until it was too late. When she did she tensed and turned on
her heel.
    The man rose from a seat in the darkness
beyond the hatch.
    Her hand went to the pommel of her
sword.
    "What have we here," the man drawled, "a
thief in the night who dares to touch my precious creation?"
    The statement was meant to provoke, she knew
that. Nevertheless her anger flared. "I am no thief." She drew her
sword, pointing it around the gleaming interior of the Daedalus.
"What is this, if not theft of my design?"
    He laughed softly.
    She assumed an en garde position,
challenging him.
    He stepped into the fall of light. Built
tall and large, he towered over her. She cast an eye over his
greatcoat and polished knee-length boots, taking in the fitted
breeches and open necked shirt beneath. His dark hair fell loosely
to his shoulders and his eyes were shadowed under drawn-down brows.
Stubble marked his jaw. The rugged build of his features looked
starker still in the half light. The sight of him made her will
strong and her legs weak.
    "Thief!" she declared.
    He moved swiftly, his sword out and clashing
against hers. "And you?" he responded, with amusement. "Lurking on
the marshes in the midnight hours, like a common smuggler." With
consummate skill he traded thrusts and parries with her, his blade
ringing against hers.
    Her heart raced wildly, but gritty
determination to equal him drove her on.
    He nodded approvingly at her maneuvers. "I
have to admit your fencing has improved somewhat since our last
meeting, my dear."
    Nina smiled. She had been taking lessons.
However his compliment distracted her and before she could draw
breath he knocked the sword from her hand. Cursing, she glared at
him. His blade flashed again, splicing the fabric of her bodice
between her breasts.
    Furious, she backed away and clutched her
hands to the polished brass panel behind her. "Dishonorable as
ever, I see, Dominic Bartleby."
    "Particularly where you are concerned, my
beauty." He ran the tip of his finely crafted blade into the torn
fabric at her cleavage, as if daring her to move.
    She glared down at her torn gown. He'd
done it on purpose. "I suppose you find that
entertaining?"
    "Very." He laughed softly. "And I do like to
see that wild flush in your cheeks."
    In an attempt to stifle the rise and fall of
her chest, she bit into her lower lip.
    When the blade skimmed over the surface of
her corset, a quiet moan escaped her.
    Dominic raised an eyebrow, his mouth lifting
in a sardonic smile.
    "You never did play fair," she stated.
Smarting, she pushed his blade aside and covered her torn gown with
her cloak. "The least you can do is allow me to experience the
Daedalus now that it has been built."
    He stepped back and bowed, but his pleasured
smile didn't escape her notice. He wanted this—he wanted her to be
needy and grateful for the chance to see it and touch her own
creation. How infuriating it was to have been caught here. Even so,
her body responded as it always did to his proximity and attitude,
as if his very presence infected her blood with a fever of longing
that she could neither deny nor ignore. Damn him. Bracing herself
for his mockery and cheek, she took another look at the control
area of the vessel, studiously avoiding the place where he stood.
"Why did you do it? Why did you build it?""
    He took an age before he responded. "Because
it was a superlative design."
    She shot him a glance. He'd teased her about
her designs,